A preliminary report states that Lenovo will not be furthering development of the ThinkPad X300/X301 ultrathin laptops, instead favoring the T400s/T410s models that were developed based on X300 technology.
This move is not unexpected, although perhaps disappointing for those who favored a thin & light 13.3-inch ThinkPad. Intel has come out with ULV versions of their 2010 Core processors that would be suitable for an X301 update, but the cost of updating, certifying and upgrading anything needed for the refresh likely made the choice a difficult one. Then considering the limited market for an upscale, SSD-only premium laptop (with an arguably sub-standard display), the economics made this decision.
The X300 series led the way in ThinkPad technology in a way that had not been seen for quite some time. The processes and technologies used to make it so thin, so light and so feature packed were carried over to the ThinkPad T400s, a thinner & lighter version of the T400 that was more like a 14-inch X300 than anything else. In fact, our comparison review found it superior to the X301 in many ways.
The ThinkPad X301 is still for sale on Lenovo’s U.S. website at the time of publishing, with a 15% off coupon that brings the price down to $2141. Too bad you missed when they were blowing them out for $1299.
Stay tuned for our X300 eulogy
Source: [Trading Markets]
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Substandard is standard with ThinkPads these days (at least since the Lenovo take-over). I won’t shed a tear for the demise of the X30x, but I will take my business elsewhere if I don’t see a return to the quality (particularly in build quality) that IBM afforded. It’s a shame either way that Lenovo chose not to appease its customer’s requests:
http://lenovoblogs.com/designmatters/?p=4090
Microsoft Store has been blowing out HD X301′s for the past week. $799.50+tax after discount.
See Fatwallet or Thinkpads Marketplace for details.
I am disappointed with this decision as a user of X300. For everyday use – e-mail, word processing, internet, etc, x300 is the perfect computer. It’s too bad that Lenovo could not figure out a way to market it for a mass market and also bring the price down. It’s very hard to find a near-full size portable that is light enough to be taken everywhere with very few compromises. Not too many people lug their 6-lb full sized notebook everywhere because it’s too heavy. Lenovo missed an opportunity here.
Too bad. As a previous owner, I loved everything about both the X300 and X301 ultraportables. I only sold them due to the screen quality. I was hoping that someday Lenovo would fix this BIG problem with their non-tablet Thinkpads.
Seems like the Macbook Air is still for sale? Brings a tear to my eye since all of the reviews liked the X300 better.
Another disappointment from lenovo, getting used to it….
I think “decadence” is the best word to describe how things are going on at Lenovo. If the they want to survive, they have to design AND market lighter and slimmer laptops. What a mistake to discontinue the X30x series! They are undergoing a major process of commoditization, their products are no longer differentiated as they were in the past. The only distinguishing factor is the keyboard, but this is an isolated advantage to remain competitive in the marketplace. Just compare a T42 with the competitors in the 90s (superb product) and a T410 with the competitors in the current decade (mediocre product at best case). What a pity!
On the other hand, if they mean that a T410S is an ultraportable, I wonder who is in charge of the market research department.
Sorry, the T42 was not in the 90s, it was launched 6-7 years ago. For comparison purposes, just before the IBM-Lenovo deal.
I can complain about all of the backward decisions Lenovo has made over the years, but it all comes down to build quality for me. The X301 is/was the ideal size and weight for an ultraportable, in my opinion, but I don’t mind if the only option is a bit larger, a bit heavier, and a bit thicker (especially if it has been performance specs). But my main draw to the X301 was the build quality – there was nothing shoddy about its construction, which made for a very comfortable and reliable experience. On nearly every other model, however, Lenovo has downgraded the build quality – cheaper plastics with significant flex, and weak design with creakiness and a wafery feel. If the T-series (any subsequent model that they give their attention to) continues down this path then Lenovo won’t see a penny from me again.
The x30x-series was a mere prestige project and ultimately served nothing but for prestige of some overpaid executives and Thinkpad-fans with a bit of money aside. Yet, of course, from a marketing point of view, the move unwise.
Personally, I won’t shed a tear for the shelving of the x30x-series, although I expect the nice gadgets and improvements, carbon parts, a decent screen with 300 NITS standard and the smooth rubber coating against sweating in particular to be implemented in all other (real) Thinkpad series as soon as possible.
Otherwise, Lenovo skip all their improvements (except for the keyboard) since they’ve taken over from IBM – and that would make me loathe them for sure.
Ok, so why even start to develop the x300 if you know that it won’t sold ?
Either lenovo is retarded or really stupid…
I didn’t say that the x300 wouldn’t pay off at all – just not in terms of sales. Instead, the X300 served as a prestige model for Lenovo to show how far the levels in ultramobile computing can be pushed. It’s just that barely anybody needs that kind of thing – at least not for the current price tag. (The thing was so damn expensive not only out of prestige but to keep production in black numbers as well, of course.)
Compare it with that Dell Adamo, an Audi Spyder or concept cars in car shows: It’s just brand promotion. That’s exactly why pulling out was a bad move (The bad move was to pull out, not to introduce it in the first place.): What message does a company give if it scraps its visionary prototypes? Exactly, it shows that they don’t care about visions anymore.
Of course the x30*-series was very sexy – only a little bigger than the x201 but with better screen resolution and an optical drive. However I believe that several shortcomings resulted in much lower sales than could have been possible:
- horrible screen (probably the biggest weakness)
- no docking (deal breaker for me and probably many others)
- only slower ULV processors
still, it was a really nice machine and the smallest Thinkpad featuring Displayport without the need of a docking station … does anyone know if we’re ever going to see Displayport and e-sata on a x20*? That would be a *huge* improvement. And with e-sata, no one is going to miss USB3.
x201s has the same screen resolution.
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